I have reviewed the proposal for the King's Inn site, and have researched the company making the proposal. The company does have a good reputation. Nevertheless, I cannot in good conscience support this project.
Some will accuse me of not having compassion for the financially less fortunate. Let me say that every community has a moral obligation to take care of the downtrodden. However, Kingston has met this obligation over and over again. Kingston already has established low income housing with Colonial Gardens, Rondout Gardens, Stuyvesant Charter, Birchwood Village, Barmann Apartments, a homeless shelter, etc., etc., etc. Every year, our Safety Net costs rise at an astronomical rate. Our property taxes continue to increase while more and more people come to Kingston specifically for public assistance.
I believe that there needs to be some compassion for the city taxpayers. The taxpaying people of Kingston go to work every day, work hard, try to keep their homes nice, and want only a safe community for their children to grow up. The last thing they need is another low income housing project paid for with their tax payer dollars.
If this project is approved, Mid-Town will continue to suffer. Crime will continue to increase and the taxpayers of this community will be soaked for further Safety Net costs and higher property taxes.
Under no circumstances should the City of Kingston support this project. We do not need more low income housing. We need jobs, more properties on the tax rolls, a stronger fight against crime, and less crippling taxes. I urge all elected officials to oppose this project. Personally, I am willing to lead the fight against the project. If elected Mayor, I will do everything in my power to stop this project.
Instead, I believe that a significant effort should be made to find state and local grants and funding to build a police substation at the King’s Inn location. I realize the costs of such a project and that grants are difficult to come by in this economy. Nevertheless, while not an easy project to accomplish, nothing worth doing ever is. Building a police substation would make a real statement to the people of Mid-Town that Kingston intends to fight crime and the gangs infesting our streets.
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13 comments:
Spot on, Rich. No more low income housing.
I agree Rich, we have already established plenty of low income housing in kingston, no more! Salzman should be ashamed of himself. He should be removed from the committee imediately!
i agree with you on this one you are so so right
I think the article in the Daily Freeman today is the one that has broke the taxpayer's back. I am happy to see such an outcry from the working, taxpaying citizens of this city. The gravy train has crashed.
We can no longer give hand outs to lazy, non working, child bearing, drug dealing, criminals. We feed them, house them, provide for their children at Christmas and you see the thanks we get. I resent them standing on the street corners of our streets, spitting on our pavement, littering, and having no respect for themselves or us while their hands are out looking for something from someone.
We need leaders that will start providing for us, the working taxpayer. What can you build for us in this city? We like cafes, antiques, flower shops, fruit stands, book stores, unique little shops and parks. We like housing with stainless steel appliances and gardens. Start building for us. Focus on us.
You can establish all the police stations you want, THE HODGE CENTER WAS TO BE A MIDTOWN PRECEINT, the fact of the matter is you neither have the personnel to man them nor the money to hire more officers.So why take another building off the tax rolls. your witness!!
I happen to agree with Cahill. A police substation would be a way to keep the crime in check. One of the major reasons for midtown getting lost in recovery is the crime. There are nice homes in that ward and vicinity and they too are victims of the low life individuals who suck on the government teat. Once the crime is under control and the deadbeats removed it would be more viable for a gentrification of that neighborhood. I have heard many stories from the elderly community of what a great area it was in its heyday. In fact an attractive substation could be built.Another idea would be to buy the bank across the street and make that into a police station. In that way investors might be more attracted to that area once they see a police presence and would see a clean up in that neighborhood. Might make the Kings Inn property more attractive to developers who would be willing to invest in our future.
Unfortunately, we will have a hard time getting the scumbag landlords to release their hold on the area. Get them out and offer those home to citizens who could rehabilitate the houses and move in. WOuld be beneficial in the long run if those same landlords went into tax foreclosure and city could confiscate. The city would then be in the position to give it away cheap to families willing to live there and renovate those homes.
What needs to be done is to downsize the fire dept. and transfer money over to hire more police officers. a 7 million dollar budget for 60 fireman is much too bloated, and that has to be addressed.
I agree with Rich this should not be another low income place of housing. There are better use for this property. Try this one on for size first We move the Police out of their present location and establish a mucn needed second city judge and proper offices for courts. Next We acquire the new location for the police in the old bank of America on the corner of Henry and Broadway thus stationing the police mid-city with equal traveling time at the area of all the recent gang shootings and bad problems in this city. We have too many low income houses at present.photere
The old unemployment office would make a good spot for the police station.Much more area to park their vehicles.
For years there has been a billboard in front of Stuyvesant Charter apartments sayings the City of Kingston received approximately $2.8 million to fix the apartments. Yet there are 32 apartments empty; some of them for years. What happened to the money?
Rich, you should publically respond to this guy Chris Silva from the Bardavon denouncing you and rest of candidates for listening to the public outcry against the safe Harbor project. Who cares what Silva thinks!! This is our city and you are listening to the voters as you or any candidate should.
I agree 8:11 The recreation and public works departments have been decimated the last few years. Our kids have no where to go and the streets are littered with trash. Time for the greedy firemen to ante up.
Merging of dispatchers saved pennies and is not enough. Close one or two firehouses and get rid of all the overtime. The manning clause in thier contract is killing the taxpayer.
Rich the Mayor has sent all unions a request to open up collective bargaining. He should not be doing this. His skills as a negotiator are terrible. He gave away the farm 4 years ago and should not be given a second chance.
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